Safety signal device for boilers



' Patented Aug. L 1922. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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APPLICATION EILEuzIAN. I3, I92I.

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I. o. -LUEDKE. SAFETY SIGNAL DEVICE FOB BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I3, 192i Patented Aug. L, 11922. v' 2 SHETS SHEE2.

IAQMIS,

ATToRNEYsautres o; LUEDKnr runnenalarmsQ Ioiivaa` y sanary stenen lDEVICE ron` soirees.

Specification ,of Letters Patent,

Patenten` aug.,fi, i922.,

Application filed `January 13, 1921. Serial No. 436,978.

ful Safety Signal Device Afor Boilers, of-

which the vfollowing is;` a specification.

This invention, which has reference to safety devices for steam boilers,is more specifically designed for use` in connection4 with locomotiveboilers and adapted for ac,- tuating a signal,` when the water iiiA theboiler is so low that danger of enplosion is present,v and my said`invention primarilyl has for its purpose to provide la signallinglmeans of the Vgeneral character statedythat can be readily and`practically applied tothe common type of locomotive boilerstructures,

that can bemanufactured at a relatively small cost. easily applied foraise and restored toA a normal condition after having been brought intoactive condition for working a signal for indicating a dangerousconoitionlof the boilei'.

In its more specific nature, my invention embodies, in a signallingmeans of the kind mentioned, an improved construction of fusible member,hereinafter termed a button, so designed whereby so` longmasit is whollyor partly submerged in the boiler` water, it will not fuse, but so` longit is subjected to excessive heat from the `crown sheet and within thetop of the boiler, it will fuse and open up communnation betweenthesteam space of the boileijand a whistle or other iiidicator locatedexternally ofthe boiler, and thereby notify 'the engineer, for restoringthe water level in the ,boiler to the desired con dition,

Another and important feature of my iiivention is the provision of asimple and practical means for sustaining a. group of peculiarlyconstructedv fusible buttons so they may be readily operativelyl mountedwithin the top of the boiler and in such manner that the entire outfitof fusible buttons `can be eX- peditiously and conveniently [itted in`con-4 iiection` with a whistle or other .like signale' lingdeviceexteriial of the boiler, and adapted for being quicklydisconnected from -the means, in a signalling system of the charf acterstated, that embodies a tubular steam y* member adapted forbeingconnected ,with a* whistle device eXterIialoft-heboiler and withv whichare removably joined a plurality of fusible buttons that aresofhelduwithin the boiler, between the Vusual wagon topand crown sheetmembersthereof,-`whereby to lso i- 4position the fusible button, withrespect to,

L the act of signalling noteifected during *a5 temporary backing away ofthe water level;

and alongythe top of the crown sheet,'fso`that at the endsof the crown,occurringduring sudden end shocks, when the engine hits hard against thetrain of loaded cars, which makes the water ily way upon eitherv end of"the crown sheet, and `frequently momentarily exposes the crown sheet onone end or the l other, at which times, it would not be 4practical tosignal; the button while/held in close relation tothe crown sheet beingso formed that the spaces where the buttons4 are 'posir jtioned over thecrown sheet; must get per` fectly dry and hot for a short whileltaininute or two)l before the buttons will'fuse and provide for giving thesignal.

lilith the above objects, in view and other minor objects hereinafterapparent, my in,-

vention embodies, in a` boiler signalling means` the peculiar featuresof construction and novel arrangement of fusible liuttonsfV and meanscooperative therewith for sustaining them in operativerelation with theboiler topand the signalling device, that will L be fully set out in thefollowing detailed description, specifically mentioned in the appendedclaims and as illustrated in the ac-4 no partof my invention) beingshown necessary to illustrate a practical application of my invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse section thereof,r

taken substantially on the line 2&2 on Fig,- ure l,

Figure 3 is a. perspective view of one of the improved buttonshereinafter specifically mentioned.

4 Figure 2.

l designates a pipe section or tubular memt,

ber adapted to be inserted through an opening in the back head sheet 3of theiboiler into thespace above thecrown sheet.y The'` forward end ofthe tubular member is closed' by a suitable cap and the other open endVthereof is adapted to be projected through Y the opening 2 in the backhead sheet '3 so asv to be connected with a whistle device in ay 4the,lcentral button 4 stands a little higher on the crownv sheet than thetwo end ones and this .can'be readily provided 4for by threading thecenter button further into the i tube ljand by heating the crown sheetand raising it one-fourth of an inch higher where the 'center buttonstands, the ,reason for Y.

automatically cleanse, whenactiiig as water which will beV hereinafterexplained.

The buttons-4, one kof which is shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4-,areeach composed of a body made of pure soft copper and provided at itsupper end with a threaded shankLlO forthreading into a threadedaperture" in thetube l with which the vsaid button may be connected,steam tight, by

threading it up against a washer 5 of suitable yielding material.

bore `el that extends the full length thereof and which has the lowerend widened or countersuiik, fas atlQ, toieceive the head portions @dofa solder lilling or plug 6, the said ,headytl and the bottom ofthe'outton ormingasurface of coi'isiderable area for seating directlyover and ,in contact with the top of the crown sheet 7. i The bottom4 ofthe button, which termnates lina circular head', `and the headportionAof the solder, are formed with transthe button gets` dry, it willtransfer the heat verse horizontal lapertures S-8 that. bisect eachother, see ,Figure 4l, and which forni water passages for keeping thesolder wet so long asthewat-er levelis above the said apertures oi'passages 8 and which forni iiilets through which the steam enters 'andpasses` through the vert-ical passage ai.. in the button, rwhen thesolder filling melts and thereby provides for an outflow of steamthroughvthe tube l to the whistle devices, presently explained. i l fThe solder, in my signal button, melted from the heat of the coppercasing or body d that surrounds it b ut to effect the melting `of thesolder, the button must stand per-l fectlydry before it will do this,since as long as the button stands in the water,ieven at a one-sixteenthof an inch depth, itvwill transfer the heat into the water; the miniiteto the solder met-al and the latter will `frise at once and make apassage for the steamfrom the boiler to the whistle, or other like de-Centrally the body Zlisprovided witha "vice that Wil `maliea noise andgivethe `signallthait thewater is low in the boiler.

It will be noticedfrom Figures l and 2 of the drawings, my form ofbutton is not fast, so vmud will have no chance to) settle andererbetween the buttons and thel'crow'n sheet. .i 'Y i i 4 u The fourVtransverse passages 8 will also spaces, for keeping the solderimmersed. i

In, practice, the opening 2 in the backhead sheet 3 of the boiler islarge enoughto' easilyv permit of the necessary. insertionor removal ofvthe. pipe lk with thebuttons attached thereto, as the case may be, andin rorder to.

provided to give ,the

close the said opening, steam-tight, and at ,v

the same time provide a supporting` medium forthei tube endV and l thesignaling device,

l employ a slightly tapered screw plug lil having a nut flange 13, acircular openingA 11 for the pipe land an internally threaded bored-4f.yA washer `15,'ofrubber, or other suitable material, is inserted intoVthe bore ierland around the projecting end of Vthe pipe and anexternally threaded follower n `plug lii-'gland 16 is threadediiito thesaid bore '14 insuch inanneras to cause the said l washer l5 to compressand p rovidea steam tightengagement with the pipe `l. The follower,plugl is alsoprovided with a nut flange 17 which is internallythreadedat. it-I to providea connecting medium for the stein 19 ofthe combinedcutoff valve and the whistle device 20.A

As before stated, the solder, in my coni,

struction of Vsignal button, does not melt at the instant it comes, intocontact with steam.` This makes my deviceespecially Adesirable .for usein connection `with loeoiriotive boil- -v ers, `in which, at times, whenrunning the engine, the condition of the train load causes the bumpingofthe engine and makes the water leave one end or V:the other of thecro-wnsheet. ,1

To provide forthe water ylevel conditions.

incident to sudden train shock,4 I have provided. three separatebutto-ns, oijielfor each prevents allthree ofthebuttons to giyethesignal; at once, as the space where each bute:

ton stands must be perfectly dry at least for a minute or two beforegiving the signal.

Il the water level should fall to a position just high enough not tooperate the middle button by uncovering the crown sheet 'beneath it whenthe train Yis running on a level, as soon as the locomotive starts downor up a grade it may uncover the ends of the crown sheet or thoseportions under the front or back butt-ons due to the inclination of theboiler and when this occurs, the end ones of the series of buttons willtuncf tion.

This length of time it will not harm the crown sheet and will not bedangerous .tor the engineer to open the injector and to lill the boiler.

Jis before stated the crownsheet under the cent-ral button is raised andthe said central button stands somewhat higher on the crown sheet thando the end buttons, the reason tor which is explained as follows:m

Most of the crown sheets in boilers ai'e as high in the back as in thefront, that is, they are as level as the water and hence il? the crownsheet were not raised at a point midway the ends thereof, the waterlevel, as it lowers toward the crown sheet, would get down below all ofthe buttons at the saine time and, in all probability, thereby cause allof the buttons to ifuse at once, which is to be avoided, since thatentails unnecessary expense.

By raising the crown sheet and setting the central button higher thanthe button at the opposite ends, as the water goes down lower on thecrown sheet, the central button being higher, gets dry first and tuseswhile the end buttons still merged. The fusing of the central buttonwill enable the engineer to :feed water into the boiler and raise thewater level before the end buttons can tuse and thus effect the savingof the end buttons Afor Future service.

From the foregoing description taken in connection. with the drawings,the complete construction, the manner oit its application and use andthe advantages of my invention, will be readily apparent to thosefamiliar with the care of locomotive boilers.

l/Vhat I claim is:

l. In a low water indicating system, the combination with a signalingelement serta-ble through the opening in the said baci; head ot' theboiler, the said member being closed at one end, coupling devicesengaging the externally threaded member of the signaling element and theopen end of the tubular member, the said coupling devices constituting aclosure Ator the opening in the aforesaid back head oi the boiler, and afusible button having a steam-tight connection with the tubular memberand supported therefrom to position the. lower end. in close relation tothe aforesaid crown sheet.

2. In a safety signaling means et the character described, thecombination, with the boiler casing having an opening in one end locatedabove the crown sheet level of. the boiler; oit a tube closed at one endand carrying fusible signal buttons, each ol the said buttons having apassage through it that is normally closed by a vfusible material, whichpassage when clear, opens into the tube, the said tube with its buttonsbeing insertable., closed end lirst, through the opening in the boilercasing end, a steam actuated signal and means connecting the tube, afterit is inserted into the boiler easing above the crown sheet, ,and thesteam ally from the pipe, said head sheet having an opening of adiameter large enough to permit introduction o'l said pipe and thefusible signal buttons carried thereby and removable means for sealingsaid pipe in` said opening.

